Fearless
by Lounging Bunny
Summary: In every aspect of her life, Elizabeth Webber is nothing short of fearless, every aspect but her love life that is. Having nothing but bad luck in romance, she swears she's done with love. Then in walks Jason Morgan, a man ready to love her, refusing to let her run away from the connection they both know is there. Can he break down the walls and show her the reality of true love?
1. The Meet

**(0)(0)**  
**(o.O) _Lounging Bunny (c) Productions Presents  
_(("")("")**

**(Chapter One)**

**The Meet**

**~ . ~**  
_"When I saw you I fell in love. And you smiled because you knew."_  
**Arrigo Boito  
~ . ~**

Slipping into her blue denim jeans topped by a white spaghetti strap and her black leather jacket, Elizabeth Webber mentally prepares herself for another shift at the local bar known as Jake's. Many questioned Jake's decision to hire a woman instead of a typical masculine bouncer. After the first fight that broke out in the bar, all doubters were silenced when Elizabeth laid both men flat out. Her many years of defense classes at its finest.

Grabbing her car keys from the side table, she quickly makes her way to her car and takes off. Tonight's a big night for the bar as its hosting a birthday party for none other than Sonny Corinthos, the towns most feared mob boss and Jake's most prized customer. It was obvious that a man like Sonny Corinthos will be sporting his own security detail, but it didn't stop her from doing her own job. They'll be mainly stationed outside, leaving the majority of the inside to her.

"Hey, Jake." Elizabeth greets her boss as she hangs up her leather jacket behind the bar. "Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing special." she assures as she pours Elizabeth a shot of tequila. "Tonight should be relatively quiet, but keep your eyes and ears open just the same."

"Noted." Elizabeth says as she scans the room for her initial assessment of the place. "I'm gonna secure the inventory before I start making my rounds. You got it covered?"

"I think I'll manage." Jake chuckles before playfully smacking her with the wash rag. "Go on. I'll call you when the party arrives."

Downing one more shot, Elizabeth makes her way to the back room to check on the inventory, needing to ensure that the new locks are doing their job in keeping out the idiots that keep trying to steal their stock. The new lock that they had installed is supposed to burglary proof. Something she had the company put in writing, holding them legally responsible for anything stolen due to a break in.

Once she certain that the inventory is locked up tight, she makes her usual rounds around the club, making sure that the doors are incapable of being opened from the outside. From there she makes her way to the back alley known as delivery lane to make sure there aren't any suspicious people lingering around. This last month alone she had to call the cops on three men hanging by the delivery entrance.

"Everything's secure." Elizabeth informs Jake as she gets back inside. "They here yet?"

"Just pulled up out front." Jake confirms. "They should be making their way inside soon enough."

"Good." Elizabeth replies. "Gives me enough time to go over the safe word with the girls."

"This should be good." Jake smirks. "What's tonight's safe word?"

"Platypus."

"A platypus at table three." Jake laughs. "Rolls right off the tongue."

"Doesn't it?" Elizabeth shakes her head. "Well, I better get to it."

Rounding up the girls, she gets an overall assessment of their moods, laying out their responsibilities accordingly before letting them know the safe word for the night. For the most part, Elizabeth tries to dish out responsibilities according their mood as well as time of the month. If they're in a decent mood and aren't being visited by their monthly friend, she gives them a more customer centered responsibility. Those less inclined to be social will get assigned duties like clearing tables and wiping it down, jukebox duties, and performing onstage.

~ . ~

Directing the men to their positions, Jason Morgan does what's necessary to ensure that the party starts and ends without any threat from their enemies. As much as he hates birthdays and making a big deal out of something so trivial, he knows it means a lot to Sonny and he will do whatever it takes to make sure they're safe while they celebrate.

"Everything's secure." Jason informs Sonny once he has the men set in their positions. "You sure I don't need to secure the bar?"

"Its handled." Sonny assures as he pulls open the door. "Come on. The men have the bar secured outside and Jake's new bouncer has it secured inside. Tonight's a night to celebrate."

Following Sonny into the bar, he wants to question the reliability of the bouncer, still unaware of who was hired. He and Sonny both offered one of their men, free of charge, but Jake had shut them down quickly. Not even a second of hesitation. As they made their way towards the table, he started to question the choice of bouncer even further as an argument started brewing just by the bar.

Just as he was about to walk over to break the argument up, not needing the drama tonight, Jason was stopped in his tracks when the woman grabbed the man's wrist and twists his arm behind his back, successfully slamming him down onto the table. Eyes wide, he turns to look at Sonny, who merely stood there with a smirk on his face.

"Step foot in this bar again and I'll break more than just your wrist." she states before yanking him to his feet and shoving him towards the door. "You want a piece of meat, there's a butcher shop two streets over, jackass!"

"Impressed?" Sonny questions Jason before turning his gaze back to the bouncer. "Liz."

"Mr. Corinthos." Elizabeth walks over to them, gaining Jason's full attention. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." Sonny replies before gesturing to him. "Have you met Jason?"

"Can't say I've had the pleasure." Elizabeth looks him over before holding out her hand. "Elizabeth Webber at your service. Anything you need, short of a hooker, stripper, prostitute or drugs, I'm your girl."

"Thanks?" Jason replies, unsure of what he was supposed to say that, shaking her hand before glancing at Sonny.

"Anyway, now that that ass is out of here, the bar is officially secured." Elizabeth informs Sonny. "I'll be around, so, just let me know if there's anything I can do for you."

"Will do." Sonny assures. "I hope you'll be able to enjoy your night."

"Always do." Elizabeth assures before making her way over to the bar to talk to Jake.

"Jake hired a girl?" Jason finds himself asking as they make their way to the pool table.

"Wouldn't you?" Sonny counters as he sets up the balls. "Hell, if she was willing, I'd hire her in a heartbeat. She gets the job done a lot faster and more efficiently than half the newbies."

Watching her as she interacts with Jake and the waitresses, Jason had a sudden urge to get to know the feisty brunette. Strangely enough it had nothing to do with how well she handled the jackass earlier, though that would be reason enough to want to get to know her, but it was something else entirely. Something in her eyes that had him questioning the persona she pushes forward. He couldn't explain exactly why he wanted to know her, but all he knows is that he does.

**~ . ~ **

She could feel him watching her through the night, but it wasn't like the other men that have walked through that bar. His gaze didn't send chills down her spine or force her to throw her defense up and call him out on his perverted eye rape. No. This was different. Whenever she looks his way, it sent a flutter in her stomach when she finds he's already looking at her. Every now and then she'll smile to acknowledge him before continuing on with her night. As much as she'd like to socialize, she takes her job completely seriously and that meant protecting the safety of those in the bar, especially the girls.

"Hey." Jake calls her over. "You're up for your break. Why don't you use that time to talk to the guy before I'm the one that needs the cigarette from watching you sex each other up from across the room?"

"That is not what's happening."

"No?" Jake laughs. "Here. Take this over to him and see where it gets you."

"I know where it'll get me." Elizabeth pushes the beer back to Jake. "I don't date, Jake. You know that."

"I'm not saying to marry the guy." Jake counters, pushing the beer back to her. "All I'm saying is to test the waters. You never know, kid."

"Any chance of you dropping this?"

"No chance in hell."

"Fine." Elizabeth picks up the beer before downing a shot of tequila and turning away from the bar to look at him. "When this goes to hell, I'm coming after you first."

"I'll take my chances." Jake says, giving her a shove from behind. "Go get him tiger."

Glaring at Jake, she takes a deep breath before making her way over to Jason. As soon as she took the first step towards him, she immediately regretted it, not knowing what she was supposed to even say to him. The more steps she took, the more her mind continued to floor into overdrive. This is crazy. Why is she doing this? What the hell was she thinking? She should have just dealt with Jake's nagging instead of putting herself out like this. She's an idiot. That has to be it. She's a complete...

"Hi." he voices, cutting off her current thoughts, making her realize that he had met her halfway.

"Hi." she voices with a slight smirk, holding out the beer for him. "Need a fresh one?"

"Sure." he smiles slightly, taking the beer from her hands. "What about you?"

"I'm more of a tequila kind of girl."

"Okay." Jason voices before stopping the closest waitress to him. "Do you mind giving this back to Jake and bringing us a couple shots of her best tequila?"

"Not at all, Mr. Morgan." Danielle replies with a bright smile. "Coming right up."

"Thank you." Jason replies before gesturing to an empty table. "Would you like to sit?"

"Sure." she replies, not failing to notice the amount of eyes that turned to them as they sit together, mostly the men that are there celebrating Sonny's birthday. "You drink tequila?"

"Sometimes." he admits. "Not usually while I'm out, though."

"Two shots of tequila." Danielle voices, placing the shots down along with the bottle. "Jake figured you'd want the bottle."

"Thanks, Danielle." Elizabeth says with a smile. "Tell her to just add it to my tab."

"No." Jason places a hundred dollar bill on the tray. "Keep the change as your tip."

"Thank you, Mr. Morgan." Danielle smiles brightly as she walks away.

"Don't tell me you're that guy."

"What guy?"

"The guy that can't have a woman pay his way."

"That depends." he counters. "Are you the kind of woman that can't have a man pay her way?"

"Not as long as its for the right reasons." she says simply. "And not because of some twisted idiotic idea that the man should pay for everything."

"Okay." he replies. "I ordered the bottle, so, I paid for it. If you were the one to order it, I'd have no issues with you paying for it."

"Okay."

Taking her shot, she raises it slightly to him before downing it swiftly, raising an eyebrow at him to see if he'd do the same. Once the first two shots are downed, it was pretty much a party from there. Shot after shot, they down one after another until the bottle goes dry. Rising to her feet, extremely carefully, she meets his eyes and isn't entirely sure how it happened, but somehow she ends up straddling him and running her fingers through his hair, staring deeply into his seductively deep blue eyes.

"I finally get it." she whispers, rubbing her lips together. "I finally get what kind of guy you are."

"What kind of guy is that?" he questions as his hands grip the sides of her waist.

"The kind that, if I were to let you, you'd get in deep." she replies, her eyes dropping to his lips. "Deep enough to break me."

Before he could respond to her accusation, Elizabeth claims his lips swiftly, needing at least one taste before she pulls away. Just one chance to taste what the real thing is like before she bottles up that part of herself once more and forgets the mere idea of having anything close to a real relationship. Love, she has learnt, only breeds trouble and pain. She can't and won't go down that path again. She will, however, torture herself with a brief taste of what that could be like. For even she is not immune to the temptation he presents.

"And that can't happen." she whispers as she pulls away, meeting his eyes one last time. "Thanks for the drinks...and the kiss."

**Note:** _Thank you for your reviews, favorites, and follows from my first story (If You're Not For Me). Truly appreciate the interest. Thank you! To be honest, I was terrified of putting up my first story, especially on a recycled User ID, but I'm grateful for the response. Hope to hear more from all of you as we continue to enjoy the journey of portraying our beautiful Liason. Till the next update..._


	2. The Chase

**(0)(0)**  
**(o.O) ****_Lounging Bunny (c) Productions Presents  
_****(("")("")**

**(Chapter Two)**

**The Chase**

**~ . ~**  
_"If you're willing to chase me, I promise I'll run slow."_  
**Unknown  
~ . ~**

Letting herself into the bar the next morning, Elizabeth locks the door behind her before getting started on cleaning up the place, having promised Jake that she'd have the place back to normal by the time they open up for business that night. Slipping a quarter in the jukebox, she puts on a good song to dance to before grabbing the disinfectant spray bottle and rag, starting with the bar and making her way around the room.

Getting to the table that she had been sitting at with Jason, she can't help but picture the moment as she straddles him, taking claim to his lips as if it had been her right to do so. The feelings that surged through her as his lips moved with hers, the desire that sprung to the surface the moment their lips touched, Elizabeth could literally feel the fears creep into her mind, reminding her of all the pain that love can cause.

Shaking thoughts of him from her mind, she continues to clean up the bar, needing to keep as busy as possible. As long as she can keep herself busy, thoughts of Jason and the moment they shared will not be an issue. As long as she keeps busy, she can pretend as if nothing has changed and make it as if the moment never happened. She just has to keep busy long enough for it to take hold.

**~ . ~**

Shutting off his bike at the end of the bridge over Black Stone Canyon, Jason makes his way to the center of the bridge before hopping up onto the railing and taking a deep breath in. It has been so long since he has made his way up to that bridge and simply stood there. Ever since things ended between him and Robin, it has been hard to be there without her, but he couldn't help it this time. He needs the calm that this place provides as he tries to figure out his next step in regard to the woman that literally crash landed into his life.

Sonny has told him not to get too attached, many having tried to get through to her in the hopes of a getting a chance to be with her, but none succeeding. For him to have gotten as far as he did was a miracle all its own. In spite of Sonny's warnings, however, Jason can't help the feelings burning brightly within him.

Something about her calls to him in a way that he can't even put into words. When she kissed him, it felt as if his whole life, everything he had been through, was leading him to that moment, to her. Just thinking it to himself, he felt as if he was crazy for believing such a thing, but he can't shake it. The only question now was how is he going to prove to her that he's the one worth taking the chance on? He knows, just as well as anyone, that love is a huge risk. You give yourself to the other person, hoping and praying they don't break you, but knowing that they just might.

**~ . ~**

Deciding to take a break for breakfast, she makes her way to the local diner, knowing her best friends will be there relaxing before the start of their work day. They seemed to be the only constant thing in her life that she could truly rely on. Every morning, without fail, they are there for breakfast before going their separate ways. Constant things like routines are things she has come to appreciate after all she's been through. They lend her life some normalcy and she's thankful for that.

"Elizabeth!" Emily, her number one best friend, exclaims when she walks through the door.

"Emily!" Elizabeth exclaims mockingly before eyeing her in confusion. "What's with the excitement?"

"We need to talk." Emily says as she drags her away from the other two and into the bathroom. "When were you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?" Elizabeth counters once the door is shut and locked behind Emily. "Remind me again why the bathroom seems to be our meeting place?"

"Forget about that." Emily waves away her sarcasm. "Johnny told me you kissed my brother last night. That's huge!"

"Its huge that I kissed your brother?"

"That you kissed anyone!" Emily says seriously. "I mean, how long has it been since you've been comfortable enough to do that?"

"I was drunk, Emily." Elizabeth sighs before leaning against the sink. "Its not a big deal."

"You don't get drunk." Emily reminds her. "Sure, you get buzzed sometimes, but never too drunk to control yourself. You knew exactly what you were doing and you know it."

"Can we not talk about this?" Elizabeth asks almost pleadingly. "The fact that it was your brother should have tabled this conversation from the get-go."

"I'm your best friend, which means that no topic is off limits, remember?" Emily folds her arms over her chest firmly. "Talk to me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"I like him." she sighs, knowing just how pathetic that sounds, but its true. "And I don't want to."

"Are you sure that's it?" Emily counters. "Because I think its not that you don't want to, its that you're afraid to."

"The difference being?" Elizabeth states. "At the end of the day, I'm not going to let it happen."

"Don't do that to yourself." Emily sighs, knowing just why she's so against allowing her feelings to lead her. "You can't let what happened in the past prevent you from putting yourself out there again."

"I'm not like you, Emily." Elizabeth says seriously. "I can't get my heart ripped to pieces, put it back together, and then just go for round two. That's not me."

"You are one of the bravest people I know. There isn't anything you wouldn't do for the people you care about." Emily says wholeheartedly. "Why can't you do the same thing for your own happiness?"

"Because I learnt a long time ago that happiness is a fleeting thing at best." Elizabeth says simply. "And I will not chance my heart on something that won't last."

"If you only knew just how wrong you are."

"I know its hard for you to believe, Emily, but love just isn't going to happen for me and I need you to accept that." Elizabeth says seriously. "I need you to accept that its just who I am. Okay?"

"I'll accept it for now." Emily says firmly. "But I refuse to believe that you'll never find love again. You're just too good a person for me to ever believe that."

"I wouldn't let Audrey hear you say that. The woman practically breathes her hatred for me." Elizabeth says with a laugh before unlocking the door and pulling it open. "Come on, I want to eat breakfast before I get back to work."

Thankfully for Elizabeth, that had been the end of that conversation, but she knows that Emily will try to broach the topic again soon enough, that's just who she is. When she had met Emily, she wasn't expecting for the girl to become her best friend, not in the least. She was just growing tired of the popular girls being complete bitches to her and stepped in to put at stop to it. No one deserves for their mistakes to be thrown at them on a daily basis when they were trying their best to overcome them. Since then they seemed to be there for each other when it really mattered and then there was no turning back.

**~ . ~**

Jason does his best to school his features when he walks into the diner and finds her sitting with his sister. A part of him was surprised to see that the two were friends, but not too surprised that she was friends with Zander and Juan. They seemed to be a good match as far as friends go. If Emily hadn't decided to throw herself into the life by dating Johnny, he would have had those two thrown out on their asses when she introduced them as her best friends.

"Jason!" Emily greets her brother happily before wrapping him up in a warm embrace. "You here for a late breakfast?"

"Something like that." Jason admits, chancing a glance at Elizabeth before focusing on Emily. "Do you want to join me?"

"We were actually on our way out." Emily says after a moment of thought, yanking both Zander and Juan to their feet. "Right guys?"

"But I'm not done with my..." Zander started to complain when he noticed her glaring at him. "Uh, yeah. On our way out...right."

"Elizabeth just ordered though." Emily points out before ushering her friends to the door. "Keep her company, won't you?"

In that simple gesture, Jason realizes that his sister knows about the kiss that they had shared, most likely thanks to her boyfriend who will soon be tasked with the painful job of guarding Sonny for the foreseeable future. Taking a deep breath, he turns away from the door to look at Elizabeth, who also didn't seem too pleased with being set up like this.

"You don't have to eat with me." she says as she picks up her plate and drink before moving to another table. "In fact, I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"I'd never hear the end of it from Emily if I don't." he points out as he takes a seat across from her. "Unless you have a good enough reason why I shouldn't."

"Because I don't want you to."

"Are you sure?" Jason counters, reaching over to take her hand in his. "Because I think you do."

"No..." she says as her eyes remain frozen on their joined hands, trying her best to not let it affect her. "...I don't."

"Elizabeth." he says in a tone of understanding, causing her to look at him in confusion. "Its just breakfast."

"Fine." she says, practically yanking her hand from his, unable to take it for a moment longer. "But we are not going to talk about last night."

"We didn't require much talk then." he says with a slight smirk. "Why complicate it with a conversation now?"

"Exactly." she says simply. "Well, are you going to order something?"

Waving over the waitress, he places an order before sitting patiently for it to arrive, a soft smile on his face as he watches her eat. She seemed to be trying her hardest to not look at him while being unable to stop herself from doing so at the same time.

"Stop staring at me." she says seriously, dropping her fork into her container. "Its impossible to concentrate when you keep looking at me like that."

"Have dinner with me."

"What?" she looks at him like he's lost his mind. "You can't be serious."

"But I am." he says firmly. "Have dinner with me."

"No." she says seriously. "Just no."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" she looks at him in disbelief. "Because I don't date. That's why."

"Who said anything about a date?" he counters. "I just asked you to have dinner with me."

"Its the same thing!"

"No." he shakes his head as the waitress sets his plate down in front of him. "Dinner's just dinner. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Dinner's never just dinner." Elizabeth says seriously. "Breakfast, sure. Lunch, maybe. But dinner is never just dinner."

"You're making it more complicated than it has to be." Jason replies, reaching over to take her hand in his once again. "I just want to have dinner with you. That's all."

"You're not going to give up until I say yes, aren't you?"

"Basically."

"I know I'm going to regret this." she sighs before shaking her head. "But fine...I'll have dinner with you."

"Was that so hard?"

"You have no idea." she replies before rising to her feet. "I start my shift at Jake's around ten, so, when do you want to have dinner?"

"I'll pick you up at seven." Jason says simply. "As for where we'll go, you'll just have to wait and see."

"Okay." she says before tossing a couple bills down onto the table. "See you tonight."

Watching her walk out of the diner, he wonders just what she has been through to cause her to be so guarded, finding that it'll be a very interesting battle to get her to see that he wasn't planning on going anywhere. Finishing up his food, he pays for his meal before heading over to the warehouse where he'll spend the rest of his day, only leaving when its time for him to get ready for his dinner with Elizabeth. One way or another, he'll get her to admit its a date, but he knows it'll take some time and a lot of effort on his part.

~ . ~

Getting back to work on cleaning up the bar, Elizabeth felt like she wanted to bang her head against the wall until she was thoroughly incapacitated, anything to get out of her dinner with Jason tonight. She wasn't sure what he was trying to get at, but she was certain that it will end badly for her. Every time he touches her, she can feel her body aching for more, needing more and that frightens her. Just being around him, Elizabeth can feel her reserve begin to crumble and she can't let it happen. She can't want him because wanting him will mean caring about him. Caring about him will lead to deeper feelings and deeper feelings will mean her own destruction. Regardless of all the reasons why she should be running away at this very moment, Elizabeth's heart aches for her to stay, to try, and that's what frightens her most.


	3. The Date

**(0)(0)**  
**(o.O) ****_Lounging Bunny (c) Productions Presents  
_****(("")("")**

**(Chapter Three)**

**The Date**

**~ . ~**  
_"You cannot change what you refuse to confront."_  
**Unknown  
~ . ~**

"What are you thinking?" Elizabeth asks herself as she stares intently at her reflection in the mirror. "You're not ready for this."

Letting out a heavy sigh, she strips out of her clothes for the tenth time in the last hour before rummaging through her closet for yet another ensemble, getting dressed before standing in front of the mirror yet again. Nothing seemed to look right, nothing seemed to fit right, making her feel even more insecure than ever before. Taking a deep breath, she looks at the time before glancing at her closet. She has just enough time to change into one more outfit before Jason shows up. Hopefully she'll get it right this time.

"Yeah?" Elizabeth voices when she answers her phone, staring intently at her reflection once she's all dressed.

"How're you doing?" Emily questions tentatively, unsure if her best friend will be willing to talk. "Jason told me he's taking you to dinner."

"Of course he did." she sighs. "And I'm a mess. I think I've changed my clothes eleven times already."

"Need help?"

"I doubt you have enough time to get here before he shows up." she says as she glances at the clock. "Its almost seven o'clock."

"Open your door." Emily says simply. "Go ahead. I promise you're not going to be kidnapped."

"Emily." she says as she opens the door. "Should have known you'd be here already."

"Yeah, you kinda should have." she laughs softly before walking inside and closing the door. "Lets get you dressed."

"Uh, Em..." its Elizabeth's turn to be tentative about her next question. "Do you think we can have one of our talks while we're at it?"

"Of course." she says without hesitation. "Would you like to step into our meeting room?"

"Very funny." Elizabeth laughs before throwing her one of the throw pillows that had been on the couch. "I think we can skip the meeting room."

"Good." Emily says with a smile as she rummages through Elizabeth's closet. "It'd be kinda hard to find the perfect outfit from the bathroom."

As Emily picks out the articles of clothing that will come together to make the perfect outfit, the two women talk about the past and how Elizabeth has come to the place she is today. Its no secret that Elizabeth fears love more than she wants it, but Emily is confident in the fact that she will overcome that fear one day. It'll be a slow process, but she will get there. Tonight, however, is not about overcoming it. No. Tonight is about being okay enough to have dinner with Jason and she'll do her best to help her friend get there.

"How do I look?" Elizabeth says as she stands in front of the mirror.

"Beautiful." Emily assures, standing behind her as she places her hands firmly on her shoulders. "Absolutely beautiful."

"That should be Jason." Elizabeth voices when she hears a knock at the door. "You sure I look okay?"

"I'm sure." she says with a bright smile before turning her towards the door. "Go. Have fun. And remember, its just dinner."

"Right." she shakes her head before grabbing her jacket and walking to the door. "Just...just dinner."

"Hi." he says as he takes her in, a soft smile on his lips as his eyes meet hers. "Ready?"

"Yeah, I think I am." she says, glancing back at Emily before closing the door behind her. "Can I know where we're going yet?"

"Soon enough." he assures, stopping her to make her look at him. "You look beautiful, Elizabeth."

"Thank you." she says with a soft smile. "You clean up pretty good yourself."

"Come on." he chuckles, slipping her hand into hers before continuing their venture to his bike. "I wouldn't want to make you late for your shift at Jake's."

It took a lot of effort on her part, but eventually she straddles the bike behind him after strapping on the helmet held out to her. Tentatively wrapping her arms around his waist, Elizabeth lets out a deep breath before laying her head against his back, snuggling deeper into him as he drives faster and faster down the roads of Port Charles. Jason couldn't help the soft smile that touches his lips as he feels her holding tight to him, her body relaxing against his as they make their way up the winding road.

"We're here." he says softly, holding out his hand to help her dismount before dismounting the bike himself.

"Vista Point?" she looks at him curiously. "This is the most expensive restaurant in Port Charles."

"I know." he says simply as he takes her hand in his. "They also have the best food here."

"But this is more of a date kind of place." she points out as they walk to the front door. "You said this was just dinner."

"It is just dinner." he assures before pulling open the door for her. "Doesn't mean we can't have the best food, right?"

"I guess." she says as she eyes him curiously before walking into the restaurant.

"Mr. Morgan." the hostess greets him when he walks through the door. "The private room is all set for you. Charlotte will be with you shortly to take your order."

"Thank you." Jason says before guiding Elizabeth to the private room just off the main part of the restaurant.

Elizabeth's breath is caught in her throat when Jason pulls out her chair for her before placing a soft kiss atop her head then taking his seat across from her. Though he insists this is nothing but two people having dinner, she can't shake the feeling of being on a date with him. Regardless of what he and Emily have said, it just doesn't feel like a simple dinner. Not at all.

Before long the waitress arrives to take their order, returning soon after with their beverages, assuring them that their meals would be arriving shortly. Apparently the cook was making their dinner a priority and is already in the process of making their meals. She wanted to question the fairness of that, but thought better of it. Mostly because she didn't have time to waste arguing the point.

"I like to paint." she replies when he asks her of what she likes to do on her downtime. "If I could, I'd spend every free moment painting."

"I know the feeling." he says when he recognizes the look in her eyes. "Its the same way I feel whenever I get to ride my bike."

Little by little, Jason gets her to open up, revealing more and more about herself as dinner continues on. Every now and then, Jason will catch glimpses of the woman she tries so hard to hide underneath, the kind that rambles on and on when she's talking about something she's passionate about. The kind of woman that smiles brightly and is a lot kinder than she wants people to believe. It never lasts that long, but it gives him hope that he can get her to drop her guard with him, if not with anyone else.

"Dance with me?" Jason asks her when he holds his hand out to her. "Just once."

A flicker of fear flashes through her eyes before he watches her take a deep breath and place her hand in his. In that moment, Jason realizes that she's actually trying to let him in and that warmed his heart, knowing that she was taking a chance with him that terrified her. Regardless of the fear, she's pushing herself to give him a chance and that made him want to work harder at gaining her trust.

Guiding her to the jukebox, he lets her pick the song before gently pulling her into his embrace, allowing her to lay her head against his chest as he held her close. Whenever he feels her tense up, he gently strokes the small of her back with his thumbs, which seemed to do the trick in helping her relax.

"Its okay." Jason says softly, holding her snugly in his embrace. "I won't hurt you."

"Jason..."

"I know that my words won't do anything to help you trust me." Jason says pulling away slightly to meet her eyes. "I don't know what happened in your past to make you the way you are, but I will prove myself to you, Elizabeth. I will get you to trust in me and trust that I won't hurt you because I don't intend to walk away from you. Not now and hopefully not ever."

"I'm not ready for any kind of commitment, Jason, hell, I may never be ready." Elizabeth says seriously, needing him to see where she is in her life right now. "You deserve to be with someone that's ready to be with you."

"Its on me to decide what I deserve." Jason says firmly. "No matter what you say, Elizabeth, I'm not giving up on you."

"Where were you three years ago?" she says with tears in her eyes. "Where were you when I was ready for someone like you?"

"I'm sorry you were hurt." he says softly, taking her hand in his. "I wish I could go back to that time and shield you from it, but I can't. All I can do is be here for you now and pray that one day you'll be able to let me in."

"I..." she takes a deep breath before shaking her head. "I need to go...take me to work, please."

"Okay." he says softly, knowing that she still needs time. "Promise me you'll think about what I've said."

"I promise it'll be impossible not to." she replies as he helps her into her jacket.

The ride to Jake's gives Elizabeth the time to think about everything that has transpired between her and Jason. More than anything, she wants to believe him, that he's in it for the long haul, but the past still makes her fearful for the future. She had given her all to a man that broke her in every way a man could possibly break a woman. It had taken years for her to pick up the pieces and put herself back together enough to get a job at Jake's. Taking a chance on Jason is something she isn't sure she's ready to do just yet.

"Jason?" she says once she dismounts the bike, standing beside him as he turns to look at her.

"Yeah?"

Not sure of the words that could explain what she was feeling in that moment, Elizabeth reaches up her hands to gently caress his face before she claims his lips swiftly, leaning into him when he rises to his feet and wraps his arms around her waist. Deepening the kiss, she wraps her arms around him, melting into him as he holds her snugly against him, allowing herself to get lost in this kiss.

"Thank you for tonight." she whispers as she lays her forehead against his. "And for the kiss. Goodbye, Jason."

Without another word spoken, she pulls herself out of his embrace and makes her way into the bar, afraid to look back at him as she does. Once she's inside, Elizabeth lets out a deep breath before making a small prayer that he's right, that he's really patient enough to wait for her because she's equally afraid that he won't.


	4. The Change of Heart

**(0)(0)**  
**(o.O) ****_Lounging Bunny (c) Productions Presents  
_****(("")("")**

**(Chapter Four)**

**The Change of Heart**

**~ . ~**  
_"You change your life by changing your heart."_  
**Max Lucado  
~ . ~**

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth makes her way down the halls of General Hospital, taking the elevator up to the sixth floor, where she'll continue her venture to the psychiatric wing. It has been such a long time since she has set up an appointment with him, but she finds that its about time she finally faces her fears, knowing that Jason didn't deserve to wait forever. If she was ever going to get over what happened to her, she's going to need help, hence her setting the appointment with Dr. Collins.

"Elizabeth." Dr. Collins greets her as she steps into his office. "I was glad to hear from you. How are you?"

"Not good, doc." she admits as she takes a seat on the cliche couch. "But I want to be."

"And that's the first step." Dr. Collins says softly. "Wanting to get better is the first step in the long battle ahead. Are you sure you're ready this time?"

"I'm ready." Elizabeth says wholeheartedly. "I'm all in, doc."

"Good." he smiles slightly before pulling out his notepad. "Lets begin."

Scooting back to get comfortable, Elizabeth takes in a couple steady breathes before slowly closing her eyes, preparing for the painful trip back into her past. They had attempted this a couple times in the past, but she could never let herself go there. She could never truly face what had happened to her. Eventually she just stopped showing up to their appointments altogether.

There was no running away this time, though, she knows that. A reality that frightens her to her core, but one that she must accept. Its just time. Either she faces it now or accepts a life without love. A life without Jason and all the feelings that he creates within her. A life of being incomplete.

~ . ~

She should be focusing on the day ahead, but Emily couldn't bring herself to think of anything but her best friend in that moment. She and Dr. Collins have tried almost everything to get Elizabeth to pick her appointments back up, both desperate for her to face the fears that have taken hold of her for so long, but nothing they said worked. For her to make that initiative now, Emily could only hope that she was ready for the fight ahead. As much as she would love to be in it with her, she knows that this is something Elizabeth has to face on her own.

"Hey." her brother says a little louder than she's used to, giving her the impression that he had been trying to get her attention for a while now. "You okay?"

"Yeah." she smiles slightly, nodding when he gestures to the seat in front of her. "I'm okay. Just thinking about Liz."

"Oh."

"She's chosen to face the one thing that scares her the most. For you." Emily voices, lifting her gaze to meet his. "Please don't make her regret it."

"Emily..."

"She's one of the strongest people I know, Jason, and I know she can face this. I know it." Emily says wholeheartedly. "But it won't be worth anything if you break her. If you're not serious about being with her, walk away now before she gets too deep."

"I couldn't be more serious about Elizabeth if I tried." Jason says firmly. "I'm not going to do anything to hurt her."

"I hope that's true." Emily sighs before rising to her feet. "I should get to work. I'll see you later."

Placing a soft kiss upon his forehead, she makes her way out of the diner, needing to get to work. The more she thought about Elizabeth facing her past, Emily is reminded of her part in all that had transpired, tearing open a wound that had never truly healed within her.

Maybe if Elizabeth can find it in herself to move past the fear and pain, maybe she can find a way to do so herself. As she makes her way to work, she makes a mental note to set up an appointment with Dr. Collins. Deciding its just about time for another one of their long talks.

~ . ~

Standing in the middle of Black Stone Canyon, Jason hops onto the railing, throwing his head back before shutting his eyes, praying for some guidance. He had been so sure that he was the man for Elizabeth. That he would be the one to show her what love could be like. He could see that she had seen the dark side of love, but he wanted to be the one to show her to good side. The side that had you waking up with a smile on your face, knowing that you would see the one person in the whole world that made you feel like you mattered. That made you feel like the you are the only person in the entire world that mattered.

"Hey, man." Sonny's voice causes him to turn around. "The guys said you started coming up here again."

"The only place I can find peace of mind." Jason says simply. "What are you doing here?"

"Call it intuition." Sonny shrugs. "You look like you could use a good talk."

"You sure?" Jason counters. "The last time we spoke about Elizabeth you pretty much told me I was hopeless."

"I just didn't want you getting your hopes up." Sonny reminds him. "From what Jake has told me, however, you seem to be the only one that stands a chance."

"She wants to let me in." Jason says as he sits down on the railing. "Something that doesn't come easy to her."

"She doesn't strike me as the kind of person that fears much."

"That's just a mask." Jason sighs, shaking his head. "There's so much more to her than she puts forward, Sonny. So much of herself she shields away from the world. Though it only comes in glimpses, I've seen that part of her and I just want to make her feel safe enough to be that person again without being afraid."

He wasn't sure what really got him talking, but it didn't take long for him to pour out all the things that he has bottled up inside him since he broke up with Robin. It hadn't been the easiest thing for him to do, moving on from a love that he had believed wouldn't end, but he did it. What he didn't know was just how affected he had been by the way they ended. Talking it out with Sonny, he finally gained an understanding of just what his relationship with Robin had been for him and what his relationship with Elizabeth will be.

~ . ~

She could feel the fear begin to take hold of her, the deeper she forced herself to go, bringing herself back to that night, Elizabeth could swear that it was all happening again. Her mind knows that its nothing but her own imagination as she returns to that place, but her heart believes different.

She could practically feel the knife's blade against her throat as the weight of his body lays atop of her, forcing her to do things she was far from ready to do. She could hear herself begging him to stop. To let her go, but he doesn't. His grip grows tighter and his body heavier upon hers.

"How am I supposed to get past it if I can't even talk about it without having a complete melt down?" Elizabeth snaps as she sits up, meeting the doctor's eyes.

"I know it seems impossible right now, but you've already done the hardest part." Dr. Collins assures her. "You showed up. If you have enough guts to do that, you have to know that you've got the guts to see this through."

"What if I don't?"

"What if you do?" he counters. "We both know this isn't going to go away overnight, there's too much fear and pain for that to be true, but I know you can make it. You just have to keep the faith and trust yourself more than you fear what lays ahead. Why don't we end our session here and we can pick it up again in a couple days?"

"No." she takes a deep breath before relaxing back into the seat. "Lets go again."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." she says before shutting her eyes. "I can't let this rule my life. I just can't."

Taking in a deep breath, Elizabeth does her best to talk about the night her entire way of being had changed, back to the night that has come to define the very person sitting in that office. She never wanted to admit it before, but she always knew that she had made a drastic change since it happened. She just couldn't let herself get close to anyone. Before she knew it happened, she started becoming vindictive and hateful towards men in general. It didn't matter if they were the nicest, most gentlemanly type of man, she just couldn't care. She, in a way, had allowed herself to turn into the on thing she hated most. Him.

~ . ~

Stepping into the bar that night, Elizabeth was more than surprised to see Emily sitting at one of the tables, knowing that not much could really bring her there. Shrugging out of her jacket, she makes her way over to the table and plops down, having a decent amount of time before she has to make her rounds and secure the bar.

"Hey." she says gently, seeing a look in Emily's eyes that she hasn't seen for a long while. "You okay?"

"I never apologized." Emily voices, her emotions making her voice come out thick. "I should have..."

"Don't do this to yourself." Elizabeth sighs, reaching out to take her hand in hers. "This is my battle to face, Emily. Don't bring all that back for yourself."

"That's the thing, I don't think it ever left." Emily says seriously. "I've been thinking about it a lot all day and I think that its the reason why I've been so pushy since you gave Jason a chance. I think, maybe, I was trying to make up for what I did."

"You didn't do anything." Elizabeth states. "I chose to stay with him. That's on me."

"But I convinced you to." Emily reminds her. "I didn't see what he was. If I had just paid attention, if I had just seen him for what he was..."

"Emily, I love you, you're my best friend, you know that." Elizabeth gives her hand a quick squeeze before releasing it. "Which means you can't talk me into hating you. You just can't. So, work through whatever this if that's what you need to do, but don't expect me to start hating you or get angry with you. Its just not going to happen."

"Elizabeth..."

"No." she states before letting out a deep sigh. "If you really want to make it up to me, Emily, just be there for me. The road ahead isn't going to be an easy one. I'm going to need my best friend to help me through it."

"Of course."

"I have to get to work." Elizabeth rises to her feet, pulling Emily up into her arms for a short embrace. "Now get out of here. I know how much you can't stand this place."

"That's true." she laughs softly. "See you later?"

"Always."

Watching her walk out of the bar, she lets out the breath she hadn't known she was holding, having not seen this coming. She had believed that Emily was over all of this already. That she had moved on a long time ago. To see that she was still holding on to all the guilt from back then had Elizabeth feeling worse than she thought she could feel. This has to come to an end somehow. It just has to.

Putting thoughts of Emily and her situation out of her mind, she gets started on securing the bar, making sure that everything was set for the night ahead. Its just another typical night, not much to worry about, but that didn't stop her from making sure that the bar was a safe place to drink and let loose. Her night was almost over when he came walking through the door, his eyes meeting hers almost immediately.

"Hi." he says softly.

"Hi." she replies. "You don't usually come in this late."

"I know." he says simply. "I was hoping I could talk you into going for a ride with me."

"Where to?"

"Nowhere." he replies. "Just a ride on the open road."

"Um..." she takes a deep breath before shaking her head. "Okay. Sure. Just let me tell Jake and we can go."

"Don't you have another hour on your shift?"

"She'll understand." Elizabeth says simply. "Or did you not want to go yet?"

"Now's fine with me."

"Okay then." she replies. "I'll be right back."

It didn't take long for her to tell Jake before she was straddling the bike behind Jason and taking off down the road to nowhere. The longer they drove, the more Elizabeth felt herself letting go and just existing in the moment as they drive down the roads of Port Charles, with no care to where they'll end up and just enjoying the ride for what it is. Throwing her head back into the wind, she lets her screams out, letting it rip through her as the engine roars along with her, almost as if it understood her pain and frustration.

"You okay?" he asks her when the finally come to a stop outside her apartment.

"You know, for the first time in such a long time, I can answer that honestly." she smiles softly. "I'm really okay."

"I'm glad the ride could help."

"It was exactly what I needed." she admits as she interlocks her fingers at his nape. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"I'm still not ready to have sex." she says softly. "If that's okay with you...I'd like it if you'd stay the night with me."

"Are you sure?" he questions sincerely. "I'll wait for as long as you want. I never want you in a situation you're not comfortable with."

"Call this a test run." she says simply. "I need to face this head on, Jason, no matter how hard it will be. If it's too much for you..."

"No. I'll stay." he assures, claiming her lips swiftly before pulling away to meet her eyes. "If you're sure, I'll stay the night."

"Okay."

"Okay."


End file.
